We Attended Blumfest at Universal CityWalk Orlando- How Was it?

The partnership between Blumhouse Productions and Universal Orlando Resort grows each year. This year, a special Blumfest event was held at Universal CityWalk Orlando. We attended this year. What did we think, and what did we do?

This year, this event expanded to an eight-plus hour event. The basic schedule looked like this:

• 10:00 a.m. – Check-in begins at the Universal™ Cinemark at Universal CityWalk Orlando – 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819
• 11: 00 a.m. – Screening of M3GAN (Unrated version)
• 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Q&A Panels and Blumhouse Photo Opportunities
• 4:00 p.m. – The Exorcist: Believer screening (for those age 17 or older or accompanied by a guardian.
• 6:30 p.m. – The event ends

Blumfest Orlando- How Did It Go?

Things got off to a slow start. The check-in process was supposed to begin at 10:00 a.m. However, the process did not start until later…at 10:16 a.m. This issue left guests waiting outdoors. Blumhouse Productions and Universal Orlando Resort took some photos and videos of the waiting crowd.

The check-in process went slowly.  Guests, once through the check-in process, moved indoors to wait in another wide. Around 10:25 a.m., guests were allowed to enter the theatre for the first screening. The theatre used for the screening was one of the larger ones at the Universal CityWalk Orlando Cinemark.

At 10:58 a.m., a large announcement was made in the theatre that the movie would start in ten minutes. At 11:04 a.m., the announcement was made that the screening would start in five minutes. A few previews and the movie started at 11:09 a.m. I enjoyed the movie far more this time around.

After that, we went to a special photo opportunity experience. We will place some of the photos below.

Blumfest Question and Answer Session

After the photo opportunities, we had lunch. At 2:30 p.m., we enter the Q&A session. After a dance number by the M3GAN horde, we participated in the session with Michael Simmonds. director of photography for “The Exorcist: Believer.” Then, he answered a few questions from the host.

He comically voiced concern and fear of the fans of horror movies. He said they either love your movie or hate your movie with no in-between.

Later, he talked about “The Exorcist: Believer” movie as more than just a standard horror movie. The movie focuses on a family in turmoil, according to Simmonds.

When asked about the scene that took the longest time to shoot, he referenced the scene from the trailer with one of the girls on the bed. He said the confrontation with the demon took over two weeks to shoot.

Halloween Horror Nights Talk

After that session with Michael Simmonds, three leaders of Halloween Horror Nights came out to field questions. Charles Gray, Lora Sauls, and Michael Aiello answered some questions. Guests were specifically told that questions about future Halloween Horror Nights were off-limits.

Aiello spoke about the process of putting “The Exorcist: Believer” Halloween Horror Nights house together. They first saw a script of the movie around July 2022. They only received photos of the film as it was being shot. This led to some changes along the way with the house design. The team knew they needed to make it scary but also promote a movie being released after Halloween Horror Nights started. The Universal Orlando team repeated the mantra that “The Exorcist: Believer” works like a living trailer of the movie.

The Exorcist: Believer Movie Screening

At 4:00 p.m., participants of Blumfest watched “The Exorcist: Believer.” Since the movie has just been released in theatres, we will not spoil anything. However, in a future article, we will ponder if seeing “The Exorcist: Believer” helps with the fun and spookiness of going through the Halloween Horror Nights house.

The Blumfest 2023 event offered plenty of opportunities to enjoy the horror genre. With “Five Nights at Freddy’s” coming out later this month, more Blumhouse movie discussions will be in our future.